Genesis Encyclopedia:

S

Sabta (also called Sabtah)
     A son of Cush. (10:7)

Sabtah (also called Sabta)
     A son of Cush. (10:7)

Sabtecha (also called Sabtechah)
     A son of Cush. (10:7)

Sabtechah (also called Sabtecha)
     A son of Cush. (10:7)

Salah
     A son of Arpahxad. He lived 433 years. At age 30, he had a son named Eber. Then he had other sons and daughters. (10:22,24; 11:12-15)

Salem
     A city with a king named Melchizedek. (14:18)

Salt Sea
     The Biblical name for the Dead Sea, the large lake in the lower part of the Jordan Valley. It is located in the valley of Siddim. (14:3)

Samlah
     A king of Edom. (36:31)

Sarah
     Sarah has her own page. To read about Sarah, click here.

Sarai
     See Sarah.

Saul
     The sixth king of Edom. (36:37-38)

Seba
     A son of Cush. (10:7)

Seir - There are two:
     1. A mountainous region southeast of the Dead Sea. It was first lived in by the Horites (14:6), and later the country of Edom. (36:8-9)
     2. A Horite. His sons still lived in the land after Edom took it over. (36:8-9) His sons were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. (36:20)

Sephar
     A mountain in the east. (10:30)

Serah
     A daughter of Asher. He was one of Jacob's family that moved to Egypt. (46:5-8,17)

Sered
     A son of Zebulun. He was one of Jacob's family that moved to Egypt. (46:5-8,14)

Serug
     A son of Reu. (11:20) He lived to be 230. At age 30, he had a son named Nahor (Abraham's grandfather). Then he had other sons and daughters. (11:22-23)

Seth
     The third son of Adam and Eve, born after Cain killed Abel. (4:25; 5:3) He lived to be 912. At age 105, he had a son named Enos (also called Enosh). Then he had other sons and daughters. (4:26; 5:6-8)

Shammah
     A son of Reuel. He was a chief in Edom. (36:13,17)

Shaul
     The son of Simeon by a Cananite woman. He was one of Jacob's family that moved to Egypt. (46:5-8,10)

Shareh Kiriathaim
     A city in the land of Canaan. It was lived in by a tribe called the Emims, until the war in Canaan. Then Chedorlaomer's army conquered the city. (14:5)

Sheba - There are two:
     1. A son of Raama (also called Raamah). He had a brother named Dedan. (10:7)
     2. A son of Joktan (10:28)
     3. A son of Jokshan. Interestingly, this Sheba also had a brother named Dedan. (25:3) Some people have wondered that maybe these two Shebas were actually the same person, and somebody made a mistake in listing the family trees. But that's just a guess. They could be two people with the same name who have brothers with the same name.

Shebah (also called Shibah)
     A well dug by Isaac's herdsmen while they were staying in Beersheba. (26:25,32-33)

Shechem - There are two:
     1. A city located near the plain of Moreh in the land of Canaan. (12:6; 33:18) Jacob and his family camped there on Jacob's way back from his visit to Laban. (33:18) Joseph's brothers fed Jacob's flock in Shechem. (37:12-14)
     2. A Hivite. He was the prince of a city of Hivites. His father was King Hamor.
     When Jacob's daughter Dinah visited the city, Shechem took an interest in her. He took Dinah, and raped her.
     Jacob's sons (Dinah's brothers) were mad at Shechem. Shechem's father Hamor (the king of the city) told them "Shechem loves this girl. Let's ally ourselves in marriage. You shall give us your daughters, and you can take ours."
     Jacob's sons answered "We can't give our sister to a man who isn't circumcised. It would be a disgrace. But if every one of your males is circumcised, we will agree to your deal." Hamor agreed.
     Hamor explained the deal to all the males in the city. The men agreed. They were circumcised.
     Two days later, when are the men were still sore from their circumcisions, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi (both of whom were Dinah's full brothers), attacked the city. They killed every male, including Shechem, and took Dinah. Then they plundered the city, and took all their flocks, cattle, possessions, women, and children, to avenge Dinah's dishonor. (chapter 34)

Shelah
     The third son of Judah by his Canaanite wife Bathshua. Shelah's older brothers were Er (who had a wife named Tamar) and Onan. (38:2-6)
     Er died, and he and Tamar left no children. According to custom, if the husband dies without getting a child, then the husband's brother must have sex with the wife, so that the wife will bear a child. The child will be legally the child of the dead husband. Judah told his second son, Onan, to do his duty as the husband's brother, and have sex with Tamar so that Er could have a child. Onan didn't like this. The baby wouldn't legally be his own. So whenever he had sex with Tamar, he spilled his semen on the ground so that Tamar wouldn't get pregnant. God didn't like this, and killed Onan. (38:7-10)
     Judah told Tamar "Live in your father's house as a widow until my last remaining son, Shelah, grows up." She did so. But when Shelah grew up, Judah didn't give him to Tamar because he was afraid that Shelah would die like his brothers. (38:11)
     So after Bathshua's death, Tamar tricked Judah into having sex with her. This led to the birth of their twin sons, Perez (also called Pharez) and Zarah. (38:12-30)
     Shelah was one of Jacob's family that moved to Egypt. (46:5-8,12)

Sheleph
     A child of Joktan. (10:26)

Shem (The name comes from the Hebrew word "shem", which means "name" in English.)
     The oldest son of Noah. He helped Noah build the ark. (chapter 6)
     When Noah lay drunk in his tent, naked, Shem and his younger brother Shem covered him. (9:23) For this, they were blessed. (9:26)
     Shem had five sons: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. (10:22)

Shemeber
     The king of the city of Zeboiim during the civil war in the land of Canaan. (14:2)

Shephi
     A son of Shobal. (36:23)

Shepho
     A son of Shobal. (36:23)

Shibah (also called Shebah)
     A well dug by Isaac's herdsmen while they were staying in Beersheba. (26:25,32-33)

Shillem
     A son of Naphtali. He was one of Jacob's family that moved to Egypt. (46:5-8,24)

Shinab
     The king of the city of Admah during the civil war in the land of Canaan. (14:2)

Shinar
     A place in the land of Mespotamia, in what would today be Iraq, or northeastern Syria. It was later called Chaldea, and later Babylon.
     The cities of Babel, Erech, and Akkad are all in the land. (10:10) The tower of Babel was built there. (11:2)
     At one point, they had a king named Amraphel. (14:1,9) Under his rule, they joined Chedorlaomer in the battle in the valley of Siddim. Shinar was on the winning side. (chapter 14)

Shobal
     A son of Seir. (36:20)He was a Horite chief. (36:29) He had five children: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi (also called Shepho), and Onam. (36:23)

Shua
     A Canaanite. He was the father of Bathshua, Judah's wife. (38:2,12)

Shuah
     A child of Abraham by his second wife, Keturah. (25:2)

Shuni
     A son of Gad. He was one of Jacob's family that moved to Egypt. (46:5-8,16)

Shur
     A desert near the southern border of Canaan. Ishmael died there. (25:18)

Siddim
     A valley that was the scene of the battle between King Chedorlaomer and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. (14:8-10) The "salt sea" (Dead Sea) is also in the valley. (14:3)

Sidon - There are two:
     1. The oldest son of Canaan. (10:15)
     2. A city. (10:19) When Jacob died, he said that Sidon was the border of Zebulun's tribe. (49:13)

Simeon
     The second son of Jacob by his wife Leah. (29:33) He joined with his brother Levi in killing all the men in Hamor's city in revenge for the rape of Dinah. (chapter 34) He had six sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a Canaanite woman. (46:10)

Sinites
     A subdivision of the Canaanites. (10:17)

Sodom
     A city in the land of Canaan. (10:19) It was one of the five cities that banded together and rebelled against Chedolaomer in the battle in the valley of Siddim. Sodom was on the losing side. (chapter 14)
     Lot lived in Sodom for a time. Later, God destroyed the city for its wickedness. But Lot and his daughters were spared (right). (chapter 19)

Succoth
     A place. Jacob and his family camped there on Jacob's way back from his visit to Laban. (33:17)

Syrians
     A group of tribes, also called the Arameans. Members of these tribes included Bethuel (25:20; 28:5) and Laban (25:20, 31:20,24).


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